Armstrong World Industries Inc. has named Victor “Vic” Grizzle exec. vp, Armstrong Building Products, starting Jan. 17.

Grizzle, 49, has 23 years of experience in process improvement, sales, marketing and global business leadership. He comes to Armstrong from Valmont Industries, a $2 billion global leader of infrastructure support structures for utility, telecom and lighting markets, and manufacturer of mechanized irrigation equipment for large scale farming, where he was group president, Global Structures, Coatings and Tubing since 2005. His successes there include doubling the international business’s revenue in three years; improving return on sales by two percent; and, delivering four consecutive years of more than 20 percent operating profit growth despite the 2009 global financial crisis. He was also part of the CEO-selected team that led a company-wide initiative to develop and implement a “Lean-based” operating system.

Prior to Valmont, Mr. Grizzle was president of the commercial power division of EaglePicher Corp., a $700 million diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced technology and industrial products for space, defense, automotive, filtration, pharmaceutical, environmental and commercial applications. Before that, he spent 16 years at General Electric Corporation, progressing through a number of sales, marketing and technical leadership roles to general manager, Greater China Operations, GE Plastics, in 2001, and then to Americas Business Leader, Core Products GE Silicones, from 2003 to 2004.

“Vic has been consistently successful at driving growth, enhancing margins and controlling cost, a professional performance that gives me enormous confidence in his ability to take our Building Products business to the next level. His understanding of a diverse customer base coupled with his global mindset and strong leadership presence will help get us where we need to be internally and in the marketplace. I am very pleased he is joining the company during this challenging but exciting time,” said Matthew J. Espe, Armstrong’s ceo.

“Armstrong is an iconic and trusted brand. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of a company so rich in history and integrity. I look forward to helping the Armstrong Building Products team drive continued growth by building on Armstrong’s strong tradition of resilience, innovation, quality and customer focus,” Grizzle added.

Grizzle graduated from California Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He plans to reside in Pennsylvania with his family.